By the end of 2025, Gaelic Games Europe will have 12 qualified Coach Developers. This represents the biggest surge of growth in Europe’s coaching sector in its 25 years and the highest number of qualified coach developers among all global GAA units. This achievement is not an overnight phenomenon but the result of years of hard work and determination.
GGE stretches across 20 countries, navigating multiple language and cultural barriers, so a range of experienced coach developers is needed to meet the diversity requirements. This group boasts Coach Developers (CDs) from Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, and Galicia.
At the center of this hard work is Anna-Marie O’Rourke, the Wicklow woman whose influence has lifted the GAA in France to the exemplary level it’s at today. Her leadership has positioned France as one of Europe’s leading glistening clusters of growth. Anna Marie has spent 25 years convincing people to come to training and roll their sleeves up, subsequently installing some of the most enthusiastic, committed, and talented coaches, referees, and players in GGE.
Two of these coaches are Olivier Kowarski and Tangi An Ostiz. See photos below from when they were beginning their coaching journeys in 2012.
Their commitment took them to Ireland, where they spent a week immersed in the coaching structures of Leinster GAA, meeting key figures such as Sean O’Toole, Gerard O’Connor, and even Dublin’s All-Ireland-winning coaching team. Their experiences—from running sessions with elite youth players to observing Dublin’s senior team train—provided them with invaluable insights, which they brought back to their home clubs.
Beyond the technical knowledge they gained, their trip to Ireland forged lasting friendships and connections with the wider GAA community. Their efforts laid the groundwork for future coach development in France, proving that Gaelic Games can thrive anywhere with the right people leading the charge.
In 2012, they played a key role in the first-ever GAA coaching education program delivered outside of Ireland by native tutors. See the photo below.
Another key relationship was forged in the early stages during a Coach Developer Training weekend in Maynooth in 2014. Anna-Marie, Olivier, and Tangi spent the weekend under the mentorship of Eddie Mahon (Wexford). Their mutual passion and continued work brought them back together last weekend—this time, Olivier and Tangi had a decade of success stories and progress to share with Eddie!
Also among the coaches is – Setanta Berlins Lauritz Bonnen, the 24-year-old stock trader is also a fully qualified referee, and soon to be one of Europe’s Coach developers, perhaps the youngest coach developer in the GAA. However, his case is far from lacking experience. Lauritz is a product of the Youth Player Pathway in Europe, meaning that despite his age, he has been involved in the game for many years. He will play a crucial role in developing the GAA in Germany and across Europe. The addition of Lauritz enables the Introduction to Coaching Gaelic Games Course to be delivered in German for the first time in history.
GGE extends its gratitude to Anna-Marie for her dedication and commitment to delivering top-tier training for coaches and coach developers.
A special thank you also goes to our twinning partner, Leinster GAA, and Learning and Development Lead, Jamie Queeney, for their ongoing support. Their collaboration, along with Coach Ireland’s guidance, has been instrumental in ensuring certification after multiple engagements, including Paris and Valencia. With visionary leaders like Liam Moggan—whose work with Coach Ireland and contributions to the Introduction to Gaelic Games course continue to shape coaching excellence—the future of coach development in Europe is brighter than ever.
